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Wednesday, November 3, 2021

Below is a list of WHERE to pick up a FREE copy of the print edition of the News-Advertiser. Also available every week at: thechronicleonline. com and at thechiefnews.com CLATSKANIE • CLATSKANIE SAFEWAY • HI SCHOOL PHARMACY IN CLATSKANIE • CLATSKANIE MARKET SCAPPOOSE • ROAD RUNNER GAS & GROCERY • JACKPOT 76 • ENGSTROM CHEVRON • B&B MARKET • FRED MEYER • SMOKE SHOP • NELSON NEIGHBORHOOD MARKET • ACE • GROCERY OUTLET ST. HELENS • CHUBB’S CHEVRON • SHERLOCK’S • YANKTON STORE • ZATTERBURG’S • MARKET FRESH • WALGREENS • BEST WESTERN • MOLLY’S MARKET • WALMART • ACE • DON’S RENTAL DEER ISLAND • DEER ISLAND STORE COLUMBIA CITY • COLUMBIA CITY GROCERY & GAS RAINIER • ALSTON STORE • DOLLAR GENERAL • GROCERY OUTLET

Food bank built to remove barriers Originally published in The Chronicle Vol. 139 October 27, 2021 ZOE GOTTLIEB chronicle2@countrymedia.net

Columbia Pacific Food Bank (CPFB) has entered the finishing phase of its latest construction renovation project. The CPFB’s is moving from its current location on Milton Way to a new home in the building formerly known as Columbia Electric Feed & Seed on Columbia Boulevard in downtown St. Helens. The new CPFB 12,500 sq. ft structure will feature a walk-in freezer, walk-in cooler, ‘residential’ style kitchen, storage space, and a multipurpose community room, according to Lower Columbia Engineering Interiors Project Manager Mandi Jenks. “When you walk in, it’s very inviting. It feels somewhat like a normal market with higher ceilings and stocked shelves,” Jenks said. “It’s a bit less intimidating for those that might be coming in financially burdened, and the emotional stress that goes with that, which I think facilitates a much more enjoyable, humane experience.” The new location will also generate more visibility for the food bank, according to Jenks. “While it’s not a waterfront downtown area, it is a prime real estate location, with high exposure both to vehicular and pedestrian traffic,” she said. Bid documents state that the renovated distribution facility will receive, sort, prepare and distribute 2 million pounds of food annually (up from the current 1 million pounds) to the countywide distribution network.

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This is a conceptual drawing of the new Columbia Pacific Food Bank building.

Need for change Columbia Pacific Food Bank Executive Director Casey Wheeler told The Chronicle that the transition to a new facility will create ample space for employees to conduct these large-scale distributions. “The layout of the space is going to be much more efficient,” he said. “So, it’ll be a lot easier to do things than with the configuration we have in our warehouse. You get more than three people max in there, and they’re falling over each other.” Additional features of the facility include a conference room, bottle drop, and gender-neutral restrooms for patron and employee use. Jenks said that the kitchen space, a place where families can practice their cooking skills and receive free, professional cooking lessons, is designed specifically for their comfort. “The idea is that the

kitchen emulates a residential home — recipes you can cook with microwaves, simple kitchen appliances that operate on standard outlets in the wall versus dedicated circuits,” she said. “It (also) has a natural electric stove, which is often what people in need might have more access to rather than gas stoves.” Design elements aside, Jenks said that CPFB is taking things one step further than the Oregon Food Bank with its methodology. “They want to have not just a really approachable experience, but an area that serves to provide fresh produce for the community that’s really easily accessible on a daily basis, without checking in on some of the things administratively that hinder that process,” she said. “Anyone, in theory, could just pull up and go on in and get some apples or greens for their salad.” The need for a central food bank location in Colum-

bia County is widespread, according to Wheeler. “About one in 10 folks in the county access our services on a regular basis,” he said. “And that’s partly because of the situation in Columbia County. You have to commute for the most part to have a good-paying job.” The food bank so far has been able to accommodate these numbers, in part due to its strong network of volunteers. “We have a very good pool of volunteers,” Wheeler said. “We have volunteers that operate the pantry; we have volunteers that help with the warehouse. We have volunteer drivers that help pick up donations and make deliveries to our partner agencies around the county.” As the area’s central food bank agency, CPFB’s mission is to make food distribution more equitable for everyone in Columbia County, from Scappoose and St. Helens, to Clatskanie and Rainer.

“Our whole focus is to try and remove as many barriers or potential barriers as possible for those people that need access to food,” Wheeler said. Development Construction at the new building has not been without its share of challenges. “The building has gone through multiple lives within the community. It’s been around for a long time, so the structure itself is very unique and challenging for a remodel for a 2021 code-compliant facility,” JH Kelly Project Manager Luke Orem said. “I mean, there were probably 100 birds living inside this with broken glass and walls falling over when we first moved into the spot.” Orem said he hopes that the construction will be completed before Christmas and that a worker shortage, caused in part See RENOVATION Page 4

Local teacher inspires community Originally published in The Chief Vol. 130 October 29, 2021 ZOE GOTTLIEB chronicle2@countrymedia.net

Sociologist and author Margaret Mead famously said that a small group of committed people can change the world. One teacher at Clatskanie Middle/High School reinforces that idea, with her, staff, and fellow students’ work in transforming the school community. Clatskanie Middle/High School Educational Assistant Donna Thompson runs the Share Shed, a donation hub where Clatskanie students can pick up clothes and school supplies in one centralized room, for free. Clatskanie Middle/High School Special Education Director Jim Helmen said that the idea for Share Shed started out as a small, collaborative effort between his wife, Key Club members, and Donna. “So, the intent was, how do they find activities that they can do to be able to support community members, students, or staff?” Helmen said. “And one of the ideas they actually came up with was, there was a noticeable need for a number of kids that needed school supplies and clothing, families that needed food.” According to Thompson, the room was a more modest accommodation before it skyrocketed in popularity. “They just had people donate clothing to put in this

Donna Thompson

A lot of these kids that really are perceived as quiet or isolated, or not very social, how grateful and thankful they are, and how often they tell her. That is incredible. ~ Jim Helmen, Clatskanie School District

little room. And I was trying to think of how long we had it, maybe four years,” she said. “Time goes so fast, but it has just blossomed into a big room, and (now) we’re just so packed. I came in to volunteer when they had started, and I eventually got put in charge of it.” Community members and local and regional businesses, such as Fultano’s, Flowers and Fluff, Wanua Mill, PGE, Kiwanis and the Baptist Church have been key in the donation efforts, according to Helmen. Share Shed’s scope is far reaching. When shed vol-

unteers have overflow, they routinely take donations out to schools in neighboring cities such as Rainier. “The program itself has supported, I want to say probably over a couple hundred kids in the last three to four years,” Helmen said. Thompson said school staff endeavor to preserve the privacy of students who visit the Share Shed. “It makes it nicer because the kids know they can come in and (it) won’t be broadcast that they got clothes from us. We want to keep their dignity,” she said. This past homecoming Share Shed experienced a high volume of donations, and Thompson was there to manage it all, as she does nearly every weekend. “We had a number of (girls) that couldn’t afford dresses, young men that couldn’t afford the dress clothes,” Helmen said. “I believe in a span of a couple weeks, she had upwards of 40 or 50 kids in there. With the sheer number of dresses that were donated, I think, kids were actually able to wear a lot of these, so they could go to homecoming and they really feel good about themselves.” According to Helmen, Thompson singlehandedly purchased 50 to 70 shoes for kids, allowing them to reenter sports and regain their confidence. “A lot of these kids that really are perceived as quiet or isolated, or not very social, how grateful and thankful they are, and how often they tell her. That is incredible,” Helmen said. Thompson launders clothes over the weekend to make sure her students are clean-clothed and ready to

A view of the donations in the Share Shed at Clatskanie Middle/High School.

attend school, according to Helmen. “I can’t tell you how many times she’s brought kids in that are homeless, that she will wash their clothes on the weekend with our washers and dryers and put them together or bring kids in and make sure they have the basic needs that they want,” he said. As a cancer survivor, the kindness and support she received from parents, students, and colleagues was a big motivator for Thompson to give back to the school community. “The kids for school gym, the staff, everyone was so giving to me and so helpful that to me, it’s my turn to reward and help them as much as I can,” she said. “I love it.

I was raised that way with my mom and so whenever I see someone in need, I want to help them to the best of my ability.” Thompson was raised in Clatskanie and has lived locally almost her entire adult life. She said she has no plans to retire anytime soon, which she attributes to the high degree of satisfaction gained from changing the lives of students. “My mom was a school bus driver for 47 years and my sister drove school bus for 37 years. And then I’ve worked for 33 years. So, I think over 100 years,” she said. “I love just helping them and being a part of their lives, and a lot of kids have really touched me.” Helmen said that if there’s

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anything to take away from Thompson’s dedication, it is that small communities can make a big difference. “(Donna) is going to play it down. That’s just who she is, and she’s very humble,” Helmen said. “But I tell you what, if this one singular program and this singular act of these small group of individuals in a small community can impact the larger population in our county, that’s something we definitely need to do.” If you know of someone, an agency or business, or a group, that is making a positive difference in our community and would like to see them featured in Who We Are, email details to jruark@ countrymedia.net.